Love the LORD your God...

I wrote this as a follow up to "The Greatest Commandment" back on 10/18/09, but was unable to post it... Here it is now..may it challenge and encourage you!

Last time I blogged, I spoke on the greatest commandment, and how we can sometimes lose sight of our chief end, to love God. But, what does it mean; what does it look like?

This has been something that I have been discovering anew this week. Our relationship with Him must be first and foremost. We say that but do we make a conscious decision to actually do it? It has a bit of hard time for me being away from my family and friends at college, but it is helping me grow in my love toward God. My love for Him is, and should be, greater than my love for anyone else. Just as I want to honor, cherish and protect my future wife to the best of my ability, even more so do I need to love God and seek to honor Him and obey Him.

Our relationship with Christ must come first! If we want to truly love others we need to first love Him. "8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[b] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[c] our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. " (1 John 4:8-12, NIV)
God loves us sooo much. How can we not love Him in return?

In Mark 12:30, we are told to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Let's take a look at this. Like I mentioned last time, that means to love God with every fiber of your being. We need to adopt this attitude! Every action we do need to bring Him glory and honor. Even our thoughts should be honoring Him! We need to take this seriously!

Marriage is intended to be a picture of our relationship with God. That kind of love and devotion we need to have even moreso for our King. I am keeping myself pure for my future wife and am devoted to her and our relationship; how much more so do we need to in our relationship with God? God doesn't want merely an abstinent bride; He wants one who is pure, set-apart. That kind of love, devotion, and commitment we need to have and more for God.

This past week, I have found myself falling even more deeper in love with God and it is amazing. When you seek to be intimate with your King, spending precious time with Him, seeking to honor Him in everything, it is so amazing, and fills you with such joy! We need to spend more time loving our King. If we truly love Him, we will be able to fully serve Him and be effective for Him. I can attest that it is rewarding to pursue Christ. This is the Poet part of being a Warrior Poet. We need to cultivate our relationship with our King.

However, the Warrior side also play into this. We need to guard our precious relationship with our King. Satan will try and distract you, draw you away, try get you to love the world (1 John 2:15). We need to guard against this, seeking our King in everything. Satan will try and do what ever he can to draw you away. We can get caught up over disputable matters or issues like I shared about last time.

This is the essence if being a Warrior Poet: Cultivating our precious relationship with our King, loving Him with all our being, and protecting that relationship, guarding against the attacks of Satan, and fighting our King's battles, motivated and driven out of love for Him. Who will join me in loving our great God with everything that we are?

For Christ's Glory!

Prayer Request...FINAL UPDATE

Hello Everyone,

FINAL UPDATE: Thanks Everyone for your prayers. My roommate made it in Sunday night! Thanks to everyone!




UPDATE: Well, thanks to a strong tail wind, I barely made it out of Pensacola in time to catch my flight in Atlanta and made it in before the snow. Unfortunately, my roommate who was traveling with me is currently stuck in Atlanta, and there is well over a foot of snow in DC were we were supposed to arrive, so he has a small chance of getting out of Atlanta tomorrow. Please pray that he and the others that are with him will be able to get out of Atlanta. He is not feeling well either. Please pray!

Thanks to all who have been praying. Please continue! It is hard knowing that he is stuck and I am not. We should have been able to arrive together. Please pray that he and the other students stuck can get out tomorrow.




Well, my first semester at college is officially over. As I write this, I am sitting in the airport, hoping that things will work out to get home. I guess my connecting flight to DC has been canceled, soooo I am sitting on standby for another flight(s). Can you, if you see this, please pray that I will be able to make it home? I appreciate it. Thanks!

Look for more blogs coming soon, now that I am on break!

For Christ's Glory!

The Greatest Commandment

We all are familiar with the greatest commandment, however, I believe that it would be of benefit for us to reacquaint ourselves with it. 

 

"²⁸ And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?" ²⁹Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' ³¹ The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." ³²And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. ³³And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." ³⁴And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions." (Mark 12:28-34, ESV)

 

To love is to give your all, selflessness. The attitude of love is set forth in 1 Corinthians 13. It implies absolute devotion and commitment, and obedience. Have we as the American church forgotten this? Is our services, and the way we act honoring God and showing our love for Him in every fiber in our being? Or, are we hypocrites, "loving" Him in Church with our words, but our hearts and our minds are far from Him.

 

After a month here, (at College), I have realized there are two predominate camps, so to speak, in Christianity, and honestly, I have problems with both. On one side is the Emergent church. They at least realize that American Christianity is dead, and is not working, and they realize that something needs to change. However, in that pursuit for change, they are trampling on Scripture. It is no longer regarded as absolute truth, and this new camp is marked with compromise, in that we want to just be real. We are open about our failings, but we never move on. We just trust that God loves us just the way we are, and we don't need to change anything.

 

On the other side is the "fundamentalists", though I hesitate to call them that. If the Emergent camp's call is for Change, this camp is calling for Tradition. Whereas the Emergent version is becoming more like the world, this camp is seeking to be different, and set apart, which is good. However, I have issues with them as well. The main problem is the reverence toward tradition. Tradition is not bad, but the problem is when it is held in such high regard that anything contrary or new is thrown out and avoided. This is the KJV only camp, the Hymns only camp. While the overall call for set-apartness is great, and to be different, and the sacredness of God's Word is upheld, I feel that man's traditions are held on almost the same reverence as Scripture. In away, they remind me of the Pharisees. Their motive was in the right place, but they elevated man's ideas to the status of God's word. They may not say as such, but their actions proclaim otherwise.

 

Now please don't misunderstand me. I am not out to get either camp. (although I have a big issue with the Emergent camp distorting and disregarding God's Word. It is absolute Truth!) However, I have noticed some things that, as a man of God, I can not let go unsaid. We have forgotten what the greatest commandment means for our lives!

 

 ³²And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. ³³And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

 

To truly Love God, with every fiber of our being is the the number one commandment, and to love others as ourselves is the second, and as the scribe rightly noted, that is more important than burnt offerings, sacrifices. In other words, more important than rituals and traditions, more important than questionable teachings and debatable matters. These quarrels over different translations, over Hymns only or not, over such small matters need to stop. It is hurting more than harming. The traditionalists are more guilty in this, upholding man's traditions to almost the same reverence as scripture. Is it worth the fighting? Yes, being set apart and holy is very important, but is the focus on the rules and traditions all there is?

 

The Emergent group is not left out either.  Yes, all this focus on tradition has made the church dead, and yes, we need a change, and yes God loves us the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us the way we are. His Word is absolute. We can't just disregard it! The doctrine that has been coming from some of these leaders in this group has deeply saddened me. While I have read only excerpts of some of their work, and heard others on it, and have read other books inspired by this "new teaching", I have read enough to know that they are heading the church down the wrong way!

 

Please understand that I don't want to throw fuel to the fires of these controversies. Rather, I desire that our focus turns from things and ideas of Man to God alone! We need to love Him with all that we are, earnestly seeking Him! These squabbles within the Bride of Christ is not helping things. We need, to instead of being focused on new doctrine, and just being real, and tradition, and rules, we instead need to be focused on our King! Love the LORD your God with all that you are! Focus on Him, and seek to please Him.

 

Secondly, we need to love each other. Fighting in the church is not loving. Are we Christians?  "¹⁰I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought." (1 Corinthians 1:10, NIV) We are not accomplishing anything with the wrong focuses.

 

Now, I realize I may have stepped on some toes, and I apologize. However, I feel this must be said. Please understand that I am not "against" either camp. In reality, we need some thoughts from both: The Church as we know it in America is dead, and we need a change, a revival. We also need to be set-apart, living for Him, not being like the World. God does love us the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way.

 

Unfortunately, I feel both camps took some of what was good, and ran with it in the wrong direction. The sanctity of Scripture is to be protected. Man's rules are not the epitome of Christianity. This is where I feel they went wrong, and this is one thing that we can not yield on. Debates over versions or hymns or no hymns, the importance of "cultural relevance" are not. These are not worth fighting among the believers about. We need to stand united against the Devil! he is trying to turn us against ourselves, and it is working. This should not be!

 

Now, I mainly want this to be a call to stop our disputes, and turn our focus back where it belongs. We need to first and foremost, Love the LORD our God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind - With every Fiber of our being! Secondly we need to not have disputes over small matters, but show Christ's love to each other. I think if we reacquainted ourselves with that, we would see the Church once more become powerful and effective. We can not live without Him. He is KING. We must love Him. If we do that, then He can work fully through us.

 

Consider this a call for unity and a right focus!

 

For His Glory!

 

"Where's the fruit?"

I was reading in Mark 11-12 today for my quiet time, and I came across this and it really caused me to stop and think.

"And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine." (Mark 11:12-18, KJV)

Now, most of us are pretty familiar with the cleansing of the temple, but not so much with the first section. This part with the fig tree is, for the most part, overlooked. However, there is a message within that passage that is important to note. Let me explain.

Typically, fig trees produce fruit around the same time as it does its leaves, so a fig tree with leaves should have fruit. However, this one did not. It showed signs of fruit but there was none. How often is our "American Christianity" like this tree? We show signs of fruit, we may even talk about the fruit, and discuss how to produce it in our lives, but we don't actually have it. You have faith, but not works (James 2:17) We look healthy and fruitful but are, in reality, empty. We are hypocrites if we live like this. Jesus reaction to the fig tree shows His anger toward hypocrisy. He wants to see fruit in our lives ( the fruit of the Spirit, and doing what He calls us to do), and is very upset when we look like we are fruitful when in fact we not.

Now, this particular passage leads up to the next, with Jesus clearing the temple. The temple was supposed to be a sacred, set apart place, holy, and a place of worship. On the outside, it appeared to be so, but of course, as we know, it was filled with sin and disregard for holiness. When Jesus cleared the temple, it was because of the lack of fruit and the disregard of God's holiness, and the holiness of His temple. How about you or me? Are we fruitful? It grieves my LORD to have me not be fruitful and yet look so. May it never be in my life, or in yours. We are His temples. If there is any unclean thing, and that which in not fruit, it needs to be cleansed.

Now I realize that this is almost going into two separate points, but they are also connected. We need to be fruitful, and cleanse anything that is not from ourselves. We are His temple, so we must be holy, and bear fruit.  He cleansed the Temple because there was no fruit; instead there was things that were wrong.

Here is what I am driving towards. We need to be Holy, and set apart, but we also need to have fruit. May we not be lacking in either! If there is anything, any sin or impure thing in our lives, we need to drive it out! We need Jesus to pick up a whip and drive it out of our lives. On the same note, we need to bear fruit, to live out our faith. May we bear fruit for our King, and lack not. May we not be giving the appearance of fruit, but not having it, being a hypocrite, talking the talk but not walking the walk.

So consider this a call, first of all to be Holy, and to cleanse your temple of any sin, and secondly, bear fruit. Don't be hypocrite. Don't be found lacking in fruit, or your temple unclean when Christ returns.

For His Glory!

Sacrifice...

I have been reading the Old Testament later for my quiet time, and just finished up to Leviticus. I've been jumping around a little, first by reading Job, then Joshua, and then Isaiah through Malachi. I have just recently started at Genesis, and am working my way back to Isaiah.

 

As I read the books of Exodus and Leviticus, several themes stick out. First of all is God's holiness, and His desire for obedience and holiness and His people. Sin is taken very seriously and is punished. God can not stand sin. Just a side not, but it is interesting to not how radically different our modern church's mindset is compared to what God expected of His people. Granted, we are not under the law, but there is no real desire for holiness, and sin is not treated seriously. It is sad to see. Where has the fear of the LORD gone?

 

Since sin is taken seriously, there needed to be a way to atone or sanctify the people because of their inherent sin. Hence, sacrifice to atone the people.

 

I know most of you are probably thinking, "I already know my Old Testament history- I learned about the sacrifices in Sunday School." Well, hear me out. Yes, we know it, but have stopped to think how serious this is/ was? Sin is serious business, and there was serious consequences. The sacrifice to atone and cover for the sin had to be pure, and without blemish, set apart. Someone or something has to pay the penalty.

 

Now, we all know that Christ is the ultimate sacrifice, but have we stopped to realize the implications in that? Christ suffered and died- He went through so much to cleanse up, to sanctify us once and for all. "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit," (1 Peter 3:18, NIV) When you read the Gospels, especially the part about His death, does it move you to tears? Does it grieve you to realize the extent of your sin, and what He went through? If we cannot be moved by His sacrifice, and take it seriously, and realize just what He did, how can we get others to be moved by what Christ did? What He did, His sacrifice is so amazing!

 

The subject of sacrifice, the gravity of it, and how serious sin is has been on my thoughts a bit lately. It is has been humbling to realize the extent of what Christ's sacrifice entails. Sin requires death...sin is serious. and Christ became the perfect sacrifice to sanctify us. Have we stopped to realize just how mind-blowing that is? Have we thanked Him for it? And, sadly, we, since we have been "saved" ,keep in sin. "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!" (Romans 6:15, NASB) Have we forgotten how serious sin is? When you read through Leviticus, and see what is required, you realize that sin is serious. Praise to Christ for His sacrifice! Why then do we not see how important it is to be holy, and not sin?

 

May we never forget Christ's sacrifice. His was the ultimate sacrifice that sanctified us all. May we realize how serious sin is! Let us strive to be holy, and set apart in honor of His sacrifice!

 

For His Glory!

 

No turning back now...

Well, in less than 32 hours, I will be leaving life as I know it and will be arriving at Pensacola Christian College to begin my freshman year. I will be majoring in youth ministries. I am looking forward to what God has in store for me and what He'll do this coming year. I am a little apprehensive about this radical change in my life, but if I've learned anything this summer, it is that it is important and extremely beneficial to rely on God, and so I will be!

Please pray for me, as the war against the flesh and Satan is not over. I will be heading to a new battle ground. I fought for my King this summer at camp, and now it is time to head to college. Even though the atmosphere and situation will be totally different, it is still the same war. I'm not sure what to expect. Please pray for me, that I will remain faithful to my King, that I am vigilant, that I am constantly in an intimate communion with my King, that I seek to know where and what He wants me to do. Pray that I seek opportunities to boldly declare His gospel. Pray that I have victory against the flesh, my sinful nature. Pray that my sole desire remains to be Him, and that that desire continues to grow. Pray that I have wisdom and strength to do what God calls me to do. Above all, please pray that I glorify God in all do, that He is glorified in my life.

I am excited to see what God will do this year, and I know that He will have great plans for me and will be glorified. Thank you to everyone who is praying for me and who did this summer, and to those who might do so this coming semester.

Unfortunately, I do not know if I will be able to blog during the schooling semesters...but be sure to check back in once I start blogging again. I know God has great plans ahead for me in college, and I hope to share what He is and will be teaching me in the near future.

Never stop seeking the Lord. Seek to follow Him with all your being.

For Christ's Glory!

Desidero Domni

Desidero Domni. I would guess that not many of you are familiar with the meaning of these words. Honestly, I'm not sure if it is Latin or not...but it basically means: "I dearly long to be with my Lord." That mindset is crucial in the life of a warriorpoet. We need to cultivate intimacy with our King.

Not many people spend time in the Word, or in prayer. Time spent with God outside of church is considered and accessory to our lives. We figure that as long as we spend a little time here and there, squeeze in some time with God when we have a spare moment and are thinking of it, and go to church, etc. , than we are doing pretty good. But, our desire for Him is barely there. My brothers (and sisters), this should not be!

During this summer, I've learned just how special, refreshing and desirable time with my King is. I can't imagine going a day without spending time with my King. This is not to say that I've had no desire before; far from it! It is just that my longing, desire, and delight in God has increased tremendously, and I firmly believe that as believers, we all need to.

Hear me out. Don't take this lightly. Do we, in our fast-paced, very distracted, high-tech culture "Dearly long to be with my (our) Lord"? Our desire and thirst should be for Him. Psalm 35:8: "O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" (NASB) Is He our joy and our delight?

I can attest, particularly this summer, but even this whole year, that my time with God, my "quiet time" has been soooo refreshing, and strengthening. I have tasted, and I want more. I've seen, and I want to see more. And God has been faithful, and given me more and more of Him. The Lord is Good! I don't know what would have happened this summer, if I had not relied on Him, and sought Him.

In the Psalms, there is a lot the psalmists have to say about being God's presence, and seeking Him. I like Psalm 62:1-2 "My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation. My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken." (NASB) This is part of the Poet side of being a WarriorPoet: cultivating intimacy with our King. We need to deeply desire and adore, and seek our King.

Do you dearly long to be with your Lord? I exhort you to seek Him. Seeking the Lord, spending time with Him, being in His presence should captivate you more than any earthly pleasure. For us to fully be Warriorpoets, Men and Women of God, we need to earnestly and eagerly seek the Lord. Taste and See that the Lord is Good! Desidero Domni!

For Christ's Glory!

Living Temples...

I was reading in Ezekiel a few days ago for my quiet time, chapters 40- 48 specifically. The passage in question described God's temple and how it needed to be just so, holy and wholly set apart for His glory to dwell in it. No trace of sin or flesh could be found in it. The priests even had to wear special clothes to serve in it. They were to teach the people "the difference between the holy and the common, and to show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean ." (Ezekiel 44:23, NIV)

When the temple was completely set apart, God's holiness and presence could dwell in it. As you read this passage, it is evident that there is a difference between the mundane and the holy. When the temple is defiled, then God's presence could not reside in it. God takes the holiness, and set apartness of his temple very seriously. God can not stand sin. As I've been reading through Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, it becomes evidently obvious how serious sin is and how God hates it. He wants no trace of it in His temple, in what should be holy. When the Israelites failed to do so, we read in Ezekiel 10 of how the Glory of the Lord left the temple. They were defiled in their adultery, in their sin against the maker, whom they were covenanted to.

It is obvious, then, how seriously God takes holiness, and being set-apart for Him. And, in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul exhorts the believers, saying "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were brought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (NIV)

This is not the only time Paul says this. Granted, in this particular passage, he is talking about sexual immorality, but this is not just for that. He is referring back to his previous argument back in chapter 3, verses 16-17. "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."(NIV)

As I was reading that passage, I could not but think about these particular passages. It is extremely evident how much God desires His temple to be holy, without sin. It causes me to think, am I being Holy? Can God's glory and presence be seen in me? Is His dwelling place clean from sin? Do I take holiness and sin as seriously as He does?

I want to be a "living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God." I desire to be set-apart, holy. Sin and even hints of the flesh should not be present. To fully be a Living Temple, means to take holiness seriously, honoring God. I know I want to have His glory and presence shining through me.

For Christ's Glory!

I'm not ashamed of the Gospel...

We live in a world where we are told that there is no absolute truth. I disagree. For one thing, that statement just does not make sense! Saying that there is no absolute truth is making an absolute statement, aka an absolute truth. And if that statement is absolute, than it is not true, making the statement false...it is very confusing and non-work-around-able. Needless to say, there is absolute truth, and the Absolute authority is Scripture.

I love scripture. God's Word is so amazing and so refreshing. I've shared my love for it before, but I can't help but express it again, and declare that I am unashamed of it, and, furthermore, am willing to die for it!

God's word is so refreshing as well. This summer was a hard one, but through it all, I consistently dug into it and was daily refreshed and recharged. I sought to communicate my love and reverence for scripture with my campers, and was able to see God give them a desire for His word. I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for everyone who believes.

Scripture also is my standard for living. If anything in my life is out of line with scripture, then I need to change. Granted, it is easy to say that than to live it, and I find that self wars constantly against this, and it is hard to do, but do it I shall. I want to live a live that is holy, and the best way to do that is to not only know God's word, but do what it says!

Sadly, there is opposition to the Gospel, both from within and outside. In some countries, it is illegal to have, let alone read, a Bible. I am not ashamed of the Gospel, and I will declare it boldly as I should (See Ephesians 6:19-20) If to identify with the Gospel is death, than so be it. I will boldly take a stand for it. It is perfect, and applicable. Sadly, there are quite a few in the church that say otherwise, that it is just a narrative, or it is stretchable, that it isn't really absolute, or not all of it is true. That is lie. Here's what Paul has to say. He's pretty fired up for the Gospel too! =)

"6I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
10For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
11But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." (Galatians 1:6-12, KJV)

We need more of a zeal like Paul's for the sake of the Gospel. I would give my life for this Gospel.
It is life-changing, absolute, and true. And, so, I join with Paul in saying that I'm not ashamed of the Gospel!

For Christ's Glory!

I no longer live...

Let's face it. Our American version of Christianity is very "me" focused. It can be so easy to be
focused on ourselves and what we are doing for God. We can so easily put God in a box. It's like we have a compartmented mentality. We act one way one place and totally differently at another place. God, and Christianity, is an activity to us, just like our jobs or sports or whatever. We don't really seek God, except for the few times that WE want something. Overall, we focus on "me", and we rely on our strength. Our prayers are more so for our benefits and our wants. We esteem our comfort and as a result are choked by the thorns of our enemy, the flesh. Our selfishness.

Now, I have talked a bit on this before, but it needs said again. I find that I struggle with self a bit. This summer, however, has been a bit of a strategic victory in my personal war against the flesh, against self. I can't help but think of Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (NIV)

It can be easy to rely on ourselves, and focus on ourselves. However, this summer, if I had done that,
I would have failed miserably. There is no way that I could have made it through this summer without God. Too often, we try to rely on ourselves, but if I learned anything this summer, it is that we are helpless without God. We NEED Him!

Our energy, our strength, our joy, our wisdom, our refreshment, should be from Him! We can't hope to do it on our own. I admit that there were times when I relied on my strength, to not so good results, but those times were few. It is only through Him that I made it through the battle this summer. I can't imagine not relying on Him

We need to realize that it is not about us. We can not do it on our own. Self is the biggest thing that keeps God from working fully in us and through us.

I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. I wouldn't have it any other way!

What about you?

For Christ's Glory!

Well, I'm back...

To quote Samwise Gamgee, "Well, I'm back"... from a long and rewarding summer. Quite honestly, it felt sort of like something out of Lord of the Rings. There were many battles and experiences this summer, fighting in prayer for my campers and for the other staff, and boldly proclaiming the Gospel, urging others forward, discipling and being discipled. And yet, this is just "one meter" of the race set before us. (To quote the Executive Director of the camp in his exhortation to us as staff going into the last week. )

This summer, I have seen many battles, seen the work of prayer, drawn closer into an intimate relationship with my King, proclaimed the Gospel boldly, and been stretched and pulled and worn out and refreshed. I've seen God do great and mighty acts in the campers lives, and in mine. This summer was where I have begun to live out more and more all that God has taught me and many of what I have written here, I've seen grow more and more in my life.

Now, all too often, it can be easy to back down after a summer like this. It can be easy to fall back into routine, but I've realized that the battle and adventure is just beginning. In reality, I'm moving from one battle to the next, all in the same war. It was easy in some ways to be laying it all on the line for God in the context of the summer camp environment...but now comes the next battle, to continue all that I've learned and practiced and go deeper with them in a whole new environment. It's easy to do it in the camp setting, but now the war has transitioned back to the everyday life. I have committed to continue in the fight where I am now, continuing to fight in prayer, continuing to boldly declare the Gospel, to encourage and challenge others, to disciple and be discipled, to grow in my intimate time with my King. I have finished the 1 meter of this summer...now onto the next.

Needless to say, I have learned experienced, and seen a lot, and there will be plenty of blog entries forthcoming as I spend this month reflecting on this summer and looking to what is ahead. Thanks to all who were supporting and fighting for me in prayer as I went forth for my King. Please don't stop, as the war still continues, it is just a different battle ahead of me.

Well, I will close today's entry, and I hope no one minded too much the lack of entries this summer. Don't worry, there will be lots coming your way very soon!

For Christ's Glory!

I'm off to battle...

Well, I'm off to battle....sort of. In a little over an hour, I'm off to Camp Joy-El to begin training as a Senior Counselor, where I'll serve all Summer. I am very excited! I can not wait to serve my King!

Can you pray for me this summer? Pray that I will be able to set a good example, speak boldly the message God has given me, that I do not back down in service to my King, that I will lean on Him, and that He will fill me with His Grace, Strength, Boldness, Spirit, and Power. Pray that God will be able to use me, that I will proclaim His name boldly, as I should. Pray that I will be able to impart to my campers the importance of being a man of God and that I live it out as well.

Again, I am very excited for this summer! I know God will do some great things this summer, and I can't wait to see what He will do. Pray also that we guard against Satan and His schemes, for he will stop at nothing to try and disrupt God's Work. Pray also that I give myself fully to God, and submit to Him, rather than let my self control me. I pray that I will be able to live out what I have written here. (In case you haven't figured it out, it will be a little bit before I will be back on to blog...feel free to check out my older post though if you haven't yet!)

Well, I'm off to battle for my King and His Kingdom!

For Christ's Glory!

Taking a lesson from the Bereans...

There is a lot of different ideas and doctrines floating around in Christianity today. It can get confusing, and can leave you wondering what is true and what isn't. There seems to be a common myth that anything with the label "Christian" on it is A-Okay, and kosher. We assume that everything considered "Christian" has to be; that it was checked out by some mysterious, wise council or something. However, not everything with the label "Christian" on it contains ideas that are actually "Christian". How do you know what is good and what isn't? I believe we can take some lessons from the Bereans...

"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11, NIV) Now that is good stuff! I suggest we take some lessons from them.

Now, I firmly believe that God's Word is absolutely true. Therefore, if we come across any new idea or ideology, we take it and examine it, and compare it to the unchanging truth of the Scripture, looking to see if the "new teaching" is actually true. You'd be surprised how many "Christian" books contain ideas that don't line up with Scripture.

Now, I heard somewhere that the way that people at banks train to identify counterfeit bills is not by studying counterfeits, as you might think. Actually, they examine real bills and study them. They acquaint themselves with the real thing, so as to better see the fake. In Scripture, we are told to guard against false teachings, to watch out for false prophets. We need to discern what is right, and the way to do that is to be like the Bereans. Acquaint yourself with Scripture, study it, get to know it in and out so you can see what is true and what is not.

We need to be more like Bereans, studying the scriptures to see if what we are taking in is really true. His word is truth; don't be led astray.

For Christ's Glory!

Being filled with the Holy Spirit- More thoughts on Acts...

As I spend more time in the book of Acts, I am amazed at the power of the Church and how filled they were with the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit was evident in their lives. It is obvious that they are filled with the Holy Spirit.

However, we don't really see much of that anymore. No one really seems to take seriously the command in Ephesians 5:18 to "be filled with the Spirit" (NIV) We look at the early church and shake our heads, thinking that it isn't realistic....we can't be filled with the Spirit.

I don't know about you, but I desire to see the Spirit fill my life. I read verses like Acts 4:31, "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." (NIV) and it makes me deeply desire to be filled with the Spirit.

Let's take a look at Galatians 5: "16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." (NIV)

We need to be filled with the Spirit. I believe that the Spirit desires to fill us like the believers of old. We need more people to be filled with and live by the Spirit. If we live by the Spirit, we won't satisfy our sinful nature. Will you dare to be filled with the Spirit?

For Christ's Glory!

Contra Mundum

Anyone else notice that the church has been acting more and more like the world around it? Our services are more "seeker friendly", we have more "culturally relevant" messages, our favorite Christian artists dress and music is almost identical to the secular artists, we wear "cool" t-shirts that "share" our faith, while looking like the latest and coolest styles. It seems as though our modern church as we know it is enamored with identifying itself with the world's ways and ideals, and "coolness"

Has anyone else also noticed that the modern Church is basically powerless, ineffective, and dying. I've heard somewhere that close to 80% of the "christian" high schoolers in the church leave the faith after they graduate. This year's graduation of '09 is upon us. How many of them have we lost?

I happen to like a certain Latin phrase which I think sums up what we should be. It's "Contra Mundum", and it basically means "Against the World". That phrase sums up what our church, and us as Christians should be. Are we trying to please men or God?

For most, the idea of going against the world seems ludicrous. "What will happen to our numbers if we aren't culturally relevant?" "If we don't seem like the world, and are as cool as can be, we won't attract people to the church..." However, I believe that we need to go "Contra Mundum" This business of being just like the world to draw people has to stop. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but instead be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." (Romans 12:2, NIV)

We have forgotten what Christianity is: A radical call of abandon to self, the taking up of our cross daily, and follow Him, our King! We need to die to self, and follow, against the flow of the world. James 4:4: "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." (NIV) "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters." (Matthew 12:30, NIV) As I shared earlier in my previous post, (http://becomingawarriorpoet.blogspot.com/2009/05/for-king-and-kingdom.html) We are either on one side or another. We need to be fully over for God.

What's with the focus on being "cool"? Why is our church focusing on being "seeker friendly", being "culturally relevant"? Have we forgotten that Jesus said "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."? (Matthew 10:22, NIV) Or, that "anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:38, NIV) Historically, being a follower of Christ means to be "Contra Mundum", and to be hated and persecuted.

We need to have the same attitude as the apostles, who after being beaten, and warned severely not to preach in His name, left "...rejoicing because they were counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." (Acts 5:41, NIV). They knew what it meant what it meant ot be "Contra Mundum". Do we?

For Christ's Glory!

For King and Kingdom!

I apologize for the lateness of this post...it has been a little busy

We are in a battle. This is not a time of peace, waiting for Christ to return. We are in the middle of an epic battle for ownership of the soul; one that has gone on since the Garden. A battle between two kingdoms: The Kingdom of Light, God's eternal Kingdom, and the kingdom of darkness.

Now I have to admit that as a guy, this is exciting. I guess, as a guy, I have this deep, innate desire to stand up and fight for my King and Kingdom. While it is "exciting" for me, it is also serious stuff. The truth is, all of us, guys and girls, need to take a stand in this battle.

To take a stand means you need to be fully on one side or another. Either your all in or you are not in at all. We need to decide.

Our self fights against us. Historically, our self, our flesh, our sin nature, fights against the things of God. Our self doesn't want us to be all in, placing our all on the line for our King and His Kingdom. It resists a life of submitting everything to Christ, because it knows that giving our all for Christ, going completely on His side, means to deny self and its desires.

Our self, or flesh, will do any thing to stop us from giving our all to Christ. It will try and distract us, attack we least expect. It enjoys being comfortable, coddled. We need to realize that in order to be all in for our King, to be a servant of His Kingdom fully means to deny self, showing no quarter to the flesh, putting to death our sin nature.

The problem is that it is easier to say than to do it. Humanly speaking, we are stuck under sin's control, under the thumb of self. It seems that when we try to throw off the old self or deepen our relationship with Christ, our self goes into overdrive. It fights even harder, it seems. It is time to dig in our boots and decide to fight for our King and Kingdom.

There is a line in the sand. We have to decide to either be king of our lives and consequently be an ally of the kingdom of darkness, or to submit to the King, and His rule and ultimately let Him be in charge, making us a citizen of the Kingdom of Light.

Our self doesn't want to submit. It enjoys calling the shots. Even when we start to cede more to our King, it tries to sneak back onto the thrones of our lives. I know from experience. This past month, I have been wrestling with my self, and more times than not, it has come on top. We are in a battle. A battle of ownership.

It seems that when the harder we try, the harder it fights. It gets so frustrating...you try your hardest, commit your self to His Kingdom.....and you fall on your face. Your flesh manages to squeeze itself in, trips you up, pushes you back to that line in the sand...trying to get you on the other side, let it rule you.

But, through Christ, we are "more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37)We need to rely on Him, His strength, His grace. It's when we realize that we can't kick our flesh out on our own, and yield to His power, and Authority. Only He can fully, by His grace, give a holy kick to the pants of our self, booting it out of our soul, and allowing Him to fully establish His Kingship in our soul.

Now this isn't as easy as it sounds. It hurts. It is almost as if the flesh digs in its claws as Christ removes it. But, it is only through Christ that we can throw off our old self, and fully commit ourselves for our King, and Kingdom!


For King and Kingdom!

Fools for Christ...

Fanatics. They're everywhere. Football fanatics, car fanatics, hunting fanatics (At least in my area!), sports fanatics, video game fanatics...etc. We see them in the grocery store, we see them in town, we see them pass us on the highway (Mostly the car fanatics), we see them in school. We even see them in church, and sometimes, we even see them in ourselves.

We all know what they look like: Obsessed with a certain thing, almost always wearing some type of paraphernalia or hat that shouts their devotion to their obsession. They talk about it all the time, are consumed by it. They are not ashamed (mostly) of their obsession; instead they wear or drive or read or talk whatever they are fanatical about. They are not afraid to be a fool for the object of their obsession.

Even many in the church are fanatics like this. They are Christians, but are quiet about it 6 days of the week, and are not quiet about the things they love for more than an 6 hours a day (Okay so I am exaggerating... a little)

The point is that most of us don't give a second thought about our obsession for things. We aren't ashamed of it and will share it. If our favorite team wins the Super Bowl, or the World Series, we are screaming and jumping up and down, and are proudly announcing to the world that our favorite team has won! Or, we buy and conquer the latest video game, and go crazy over it and tell everyone how great the game was. Or, we buy the newest of the new cars, or restore an old classic car, and we tell everyone about it, and drive the metal monstrosity down main street.

The point is that we can get so excited and fanatical for stuff...and we aren't ashamed of it Why don't we have this mindset for Christ? Now, please understand that I am not promoting being fanatical to stuff...not at all! (I've talked on that before: http://becomingawarriorpoet.blogspot.com/2009/04/garbage-everywhere.html) Instead I am suggesting that we take that mindset of being unashamed and absolutely fanatical and apply it to our spiritual walk.

How many of us are willing to be a fool for Christ? How many of us are willing to lay it all on the line, be made fun of, mocked, scorned persecuted, rejected? How many of us are willing to appear foolish? Are we ashamed of the Gospel?

Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel (Romans 1:16), but preached to everyone, and devoted his life to it. He was fanatical for Christ's Glory, Kingdom, and Gospel! How many of us can say that?

We should not be afraid of looking the fool. God isn't.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. " (1 Corinthians 1:18-25, NIV)

The Church tries to dress up the Gospel, make it "culturally relevant". This should not be. God's message will appear to be foolishness, and we should be willing to appear as fools for Him so that He may be glorified and seen all the more.

Though the world may mock us and the gospel, because it appears to be foolishness, we should not waver. Because, God's "foolishness" is greater than man's wisdom. The foolishness of the Cross puts the attention fully on God, and not on us, because we all know that it were about us, or it was our message, we would not make it appear "foolish" in man's eyes. The "foolishness" of the Gospel showcases God's greatness. Instead of focusing on pleasing the world, we should focus on pleasing God, even if it makes us appear to be a fool before the world

I don't know about you, but I would rather be seen as a fool for my King, than a fool before Him.

For Christ's Glory!

Amazing Grace...(More thoughts on Acts...)

Most of you are familiar with the old hymn Amazing Grace. Some of you might even be humming it to yourself as you read this...and some of you might be wondering what grace has to do with Acts, or why talk about it....After all, don't we all know what Grace is and that we have been saved by Grace? Why revisit something we all know and hold dear? What more could be said? With all due respect, quite a bit more needs said and hasn't been said much, if at all.

Most of us would define grace as "unmerited favor", and most see it as more or less the same thing as mercy. While this is definitely a big part of grace, and certainly the most well known, it is not the whole picture.

Most of you might be thinking "what does he mean?", "What does this have to do with Acts?", and some of you just might be still humming that old hymn and might be wondering why you still are!

All questions and jokes aside, let's take a look at Acts 4:33..."With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all." (NIV)

Also in Ephesians 3:7, it says "I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power."(NIV)

In Romans 15:15 it says "I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me"(NIV)

John 1:16 says "From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another."(NIV)

It becomes obvious that grace as mentioned here means more than just mercy or unmerited favor. It is the very power of God to shape and move us. It is God's power to use us. It is not us, but Him.

Part of this is realizing that we can't, but He can. We on our own can not be perfect or holy. We are a mess, despite our best efforts. Don't think I am excluding myself from this. I am all too aware of my own failings. I am a mess on my own spiritually, bogged down in sin. When I try and do my own thing or get in front of God and try and do things my way, I fall and fail terribly. Even when I try and do great things for God, and do my best for Him and rely on my efforts and still during it rely on me, I find that I fall, and even fall into sin, into pride.

In Romans 7, Paul had a similar problem as I do, and as all of us do. "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing." (Romans 7:18-19, NIV)

How many of us can join with Paul in saying that? How many hands raised? I find that even when I desire to do what is good, I end up in sin, and hurting others. Our sin nature is pretty tricky...

But, Paul continues: (Verse 22, 24) "For my inner being, I delight in God's law...." but then he says "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" Verse 25: "Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" And then He continues in chapter 8 by saying that "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, who do not live according to the sin nature but according to the Spirit. because through Christ Jesus the law of Christ set me free from the law of sin and death." (8:1-2, NIV)

Now many in our modern church take a look at this passage, particularly in chapter 7 and conclude that it provides evidence that we can never truly be living holy lives, that we will be stuck in sin until Christ comes again. We use this scripture to justify being stuck in sin.

That is not what Paul is saying here. He is telling of how sin reigned in his body, and he was powerless to fight it...until he has set free by the Grace of God. (I talk more on this in a previous post: http://becomingawarriorpoet.blogspot.com/2009/05/time-to-kill-horse.html)

Here is the point that I am trying to make. We are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8), but Grace is so much more than that. It is more than unmerited favor; it is God's power. We are wretched and sinful. We've established that. I, my sinful, selfish self can never accomplish any thing for God, nor have victory over sin (Romans 6:4-11). It is only by the power of His Grace that we can do anything. We can't do anything on our own, Only God can through us.

To live by Grace means to submit everything to Him, and rely on Him. His grace is more than mercy...it is the power to overcome sin, to be a follower for Him, the power to be bold for Him, and to have words to defend the gospel...that is what His grace does. By the power of His Grace we have victory over sin. By His Grace and the power of it, can we dare to live as He did. It is by His grace that we can be holy.

We can't do it on our own. We need His Grace. Jesus lived just as we did, but by God's grace, lived such a life that the world has been turned upside down, and we have been offered forgiveness and Grace. Jesus lived the ultimate life by and of Grace, and He beckons us to come and follow. It is only by His Grace that we can dare try.

I've only scratched the surface on God's Grace; none of us can ever truly comprehend all that it is and its power. The early church in Acts lived by Grace. I mentioned in the my title that I would dig a little deeper in Acts, and so I shall, before I forget! (I have a tendency to get carried away when I write and I don't always finish all that I mean to say.)

When we look at Acts and see how the church was and how we are now, we see a big difference. I had mentioned this earlier. One other thing that the Early church did that we don't is live by Grace. They lived by the power of God's Grace. It was by His grace that they did what they did and had the impact that they had.

Nowadays, Grace is seen as mercy. We are "just forgiven". We are stuck in the mire of sin and self. We don't realize the power of God's grace. We try and do things on our own. We see God's Grace as a "get out of jail free card". We are under God's grace; we can do what we want.

This is not how it is supposed to be! God's Grace can and will deliver us from that, if we let Him. We can't...But He can. We need more of that powerful side of Grace in the church. For more on this, check out this site: http://www.ericludy.com/ericludy.com/What_is_Grace.html.

To conclude this rather lengthy post, let me say that I have decided to live by His Grace. I can't do it on my own. I do not want to be mired in my sin and selfishness. I've seen what it has done to my life. It is only by His Grace that I can follow Him, and be holy. That is why His Grace is so Amazing!

For Christ's Glory!

Podcast 1: Digging Deeper into Purity

After some thought, I have to decided to add a podcast to the blog. So, welcome to my first Podcast! Some of you will recognize what is being said from one of mt first posts, "Protecting Purity". I felt that it was time to revisit it and add a little bit more! (I apologize if it isn't the greatest quality!)

For Christ's Glory!

Cheap Love

"Love". It's a word thrown around rather lightly these days. We love our family, we love steak, we love football, we love our cars, we love movies....etc. The definition of Love appears to be cheapened. It doesn't mean much any more.

We forget how special love is. God loved us and died for us. That is true love. Love means more than a like or an affection. To help describe love, allow me to share a poem/writing I did several months ago on the subject, and is based off 1 Corinthians 13:

Love,
It's such an intangible concept.
What is Love?
Is it "mushy stuff",
Attraction,
A desire to be filled,
A desire to fill good,
or is it something more?

Fairy tales tell of "true love",
And love that "lasts forever",
"And they lived happily ever after."
But, one wonders,
What is it?

What is true love?
What does it mean?

Could it be,
That true love goes beyond one's self?
That it is more than personal fulfillment?
That there is more to it,
Than our sex-crazed culture sees?

True love is not selfish,
It is, rather,
Selfless,
Putting others ahead of one's self,
And, even,
Laying down your life for someone.

True love is putting the one you love ahead of yourself,
Their needs,
Their wants,
Being selfless.

True love is not rude,
Or crude,
Or cruel.

Love is patient,
It waits until the right time.
True love does wait.

Love is kind,
It is gentle,
And nurturing.

Love is not jealous,
Or brags,
And is not filled with pride.

Love is not selfish.
It puts others' needs first.

Love does not delight in evil,
Or keep track of them.

Love always trusts,
Always hopes,
Always endures.
Love never ends.

Love is sacrifice,
Respect and trust.
It never fails.

True love is pure,
It never loses hope,
Always cherishes.
It never fails.

That is true love. It is not the love of this world, but of eternity. If we loved like this, there would be fewer divorces, fewer conflicts, fewer marriage problems. We are commanded over and over in the Bible to love others, love~ "agape"; that is, unconditional love. More than that, we must first love God, because He loved us first. He is love! When we love Him, unconditionally, giving Him all that we are, then we can truly love, and live out 1 Corinthians 13.

This is True Love, however it is not enough to read it; the challenge is to do it. Will you truly love?

For Christ's Glory!

Mighty Acts

I recently read through the book of Acts and am currently doing a Bible study with a very good friend of mine through the above said book. As I read (and re-read) it, I am continually amazed at the boldness of the Church, and their faith, and how powerfully God's Spirit moved through them. And it has caused me to ask: What has happened to our church?

How have we dropped from such a great beginning to today? As I look around, our church is very different from the original church. What has happened?

I think the best way to address this is to first look at the way the Church used to be and what we can learn from that, and then compare it to our church of today, and see how they line up. Believe me, we need more followers of Christ who are willing to live as those early believers did.

So, let's take a look:

The first think to note about the Church is that it was filled with the Spirit. ("And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you..." Acts 1:8A, NIV) In Acts 2, we see the apostles filled with the Spirit, and they boldly proclaim Christ to every one. It is interesting to note that the apostles didn't ever dress up the Gospel, or make it "culturally relevant"; they preached the Gospel as it was, straight out, not dressing it up or softening any of it's blows, or making it more approachable. They were bold and preached the Word as it was, not holding anything back. Now that is the stuff that make a warrior poet!

All through out Acts, we see the great faith and great works done by the Church...through the Holy Spirit. They were filled with the Spirit, and as a result, were powerfully effective of reaching others. The Spirit took "ordinary, unschooled men...." filled them with power and courage, and others were "astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13, NIV)

Another characteristic of the early church was that they devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 2:42, 4:24-31) It is interesting to note how they were "joined together constantly in prayer..." (Acts 1:14A, NIV) How many of us can say the same of us and our churches?

There is so much that I could go into....when I read Acts, I am deeply moved. I see the examples of those who went before me, those great warrior poets: Paul, Peter, James, Philip...and I deeply desire to join their ranks. I read Acts, and I greatly desire to live as they lived, forsaking all else, following Christ, even to death and boldly proclaiming His Word, without watering it down, not being ashamed of the Gospel, being willing to be hated and despised, just like Christ, and being filled with power in the Holy Spirit. This is what it means to be a Warrior Poet!

You'll notice that I've barely scratched the surface...and there is a reason. The topic of Acts is just too big and great to be contained in one little blog post. Therefore, I will be saying quite a bit more on this in future posts! Reading Acts is so moving and challenging! I hope to challenge and move you through this look into God's Word. Further up and further in!

For Christ's Glory!

Well, No one is perfect...

I have been learning and teaching about holiness lately, and I have been a bit bold in sharing, though not as bold as I should. One common response I get in response to what people thought of being holy (1 Peter 1:15-16) is "well, no one is perfect."

This is an excuse made by the self, desperately trying to protect it's self from the conviction of God's word. No one is perfect. We can't reach that standard, so why try? We are saved; that's all we need, right? Holiness is something that none of us can attain; God didn't really mean it, did he?

While it is true that none of us are perfect, and that none of us can attain holiness....on our own, we are commanded to be holy as He is holy! It is through Christ that we can be holy for Him, set apart for Him.

I am willing to be radically set apart for Him. While I am wrestling with figuring out what that looks like and what will bring Him glory, I believe that it is our duty to be set apart for Him, in the world, but not of the World. In James 4:4, it says that "... the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." (KJV)

However, our self fights against the things of God, and it desires to be comfortable. It doesn't want to be challenged, and is more concerned about "me" than God. However, we need to instead, "since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:1-2)

We need to deny self, and pursue holiness, through Christ's strength. While none of us are perfect, Christ is, and we need to follow Him, and strive for holiness none the less, even though we can't truly achieve it, but because He commands us to be holy for Him. May we give more up for Him instead of more for ourselves....may we deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him, and strive to be Holy. We may not be holy, or perfect, but He is, and we must follow after Him!

For Christ's Glory!

Time to kill the horse

Some of you are probably looking at the title and are wondering "what horse?"...."Why kill it?" "What is this about?" Well, let me explain.

To some of you, this title might sound a little familiar...because I am borrowing a concept from Eric Ludy's book, Bravehearted Gospel...sort of. In Eric's book, he refers to the phrase of "killing the horse" as a part of mindset we need in the church; namely that we need to take care of things for the best of everyone. In other words, being "man" enough to stand up for the Gospel.

I would like to suggest another connotation for that phrase, in addition to Eric's. Namely, it is time to kill the horse of our Sin nature, our flesh.

In Romans 8:13, we are told "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." (NIV) Over and over we are told in Romans that if we were raised with Christ, and alive in the spirit, we should be dead to our sin nature. Our sin nature needs to be put down. Instead of killing the horse, putting it out of its misery, I think it more akin to killing a snake to keep it from harming or killing.

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:1-2, NIV) When I read Romans, particularly 6-8, I am deeply moved and challenged. Since we are saved, we should not be slaves to our sin nature. It is time to kill the horse/ snake of our sin nature.

In Romans 8:37, it says "Nay,in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." (KJV) In Philippians 4:13, it says that "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (KJV) It is through Christ and his power, which makes us dead in our sin, that we can put to death our sin nature. "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:11, NIV)

How many of us struggle with sin, and we don't really fight it. We think that we can get free from our sin, that we must try to avoid our sin nature, but it will trap us time and time again all the same. We forget that "...sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Romans 6:14, NIV)

Is God's Word not True? Does Christ not have power over sin? Did He not conquer sin, and beckons us to "come and follow"? We need to throw off our doubt and put our full faith in God, and put to death our sin nature. We have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? It is time to kill the horse, put down our sin nature....through Christ's power, and His alone!

For Christ's Glory!

For Better and for Worse...

Some of you are probably wondering what I am planning to talk about. Well, let me give a little history, and then I'll explain!

As some of you know, my dad had a skiing accident and surgery recently and has been home for a long recovery. Through all this time, I have watched my mom sacrifice for him, and that has been really encouraging to me. My hat is off to you, Mom for your commitment!

You see, my mom has been demonstrating sacrificial love to her husband, and loving him and caring for him no matter what. That type of commitment is seriously lacking in many marriages. Have we forgotten the words of John 15:13, "greater love has no one than this, that he lays down his life for his friends. "? (NIV)

I desire to have that same love for my future wife...and I challenge you to love your spouse the same way. In a typical marriage vow, the husband and wife both promise to care for each other in sickness and in health, for better or for worse. We need more people to love as described in 1 Corinthians 13.

This mindset is seriously lacking in our culture. Divorce is everywhere. As Paul said, "my brothers, this should not be!" I personally deeply desire to love my future wife as put forth in 1 Corinthians 13, and with the same commitment as my mom has for her husband...in fact, nothing against my mom, but I desire to go even deeper. I desire to love and be committed even more than my mom. Thanks Mom for inspiring me!

I know this is a little different than what I usually post, but I think this is something that need addressed. In our age of cheap love, we need more people to love each other with the same intensity as set forth in 1 Corinthians 13, and with the same commitment as what they promised, "for better or for worse."

For Christ's Glory!

Of Lawns and Guinea Pigs

In case some of you were wondering, I have not fallen of the edge off the earth; after all the earth is round! Seriously though, I have been busy, but I hope to get more posts up soon!


Now some of you might be looking at the title and are wondering what guinea pigs and lawns have anything to do with what is on here. Allow me to give some more information and then I'll explain.

At my house lives a very lovable guinea pig (note: The pronunciation emphasis is on the "pig"!) named Squeakers. Now, it is a well known fact in our household that whenever you set Squeakers on a patch of the lawn, it will be completely devoured. I have been known to take advantage of her ferocious appetite to take care of areas in the lawn I can't reach with a lawn mower. She is like a miniature cow, and is colored like one! She doesn't just gulp down the grass, but she spends a long time chewing.

Now you are all wondering where I am going with this. What does my dear guinea pig have to do with being a warrior poet? Well, because I think we can learn something from Squeakers. It goes without saying that her main focus is food and she goes crazy over it and just digs into it and always is desiring more. We need that same focus and desire and eagerness. Not for food, but for the very words of God, the Bible.

In Jeremiah 15:16, it says "your words came and I ate them; they were my joy and my desire" (roughly quoted from NIV) We need the same attitude as my guinea pig, digging deep into the scriptures, having an intense love and longing for them, taking delight and joy in them.

That is something I think our modern church underplays or even forgets or ignores. God's Word is soooo rich and moving and powerful. Take a look at Psalms 119:9-16. Look especially at verse 16: "I delight in your decrees, I will not neglect your word." (NIV)

Now I have spoken already on the importance of God's word, but I think it is worth looking into more, and repeating! God's word is so good and so indescribable. Oh, how I desire to say as the psalmist said in Psalm 119:20: "My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times." (NIV) It can be said that Squeakers is consumed with eating and that it is her joy and delight. Oh, how I deeply desire to have that same mindset toward God's word.

These past few weeks have found me me spending more and more time in His word, and I am so hungry and thirsty for more! It is so filling and challenging. We as Christians need to realize the importance of knowing His word.

In the letters to Timothy, Paul warns him to watch out for false teachings. I would suggest that in order to recognize false teachings, we need a deep understanding of the scripture, the Very Words of God!

I deeply desire more and more of His Word, and I know that it is so changing, so convicting and so.....indescribable. Those who know me know that I can express myself very well in writing, but my desire and joy in the Word can not be fully put into writing! Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! His Word endures forever!

I challenge you to dig into His Word. I guarantee that you will not be the same! Will you have the same hunger?

For Christ's Glory!

He must increase, and I must decrease...

Many of us know of John the Baptist. He was a great man of God, and prepared the way for Jesus and His earthly ministry. With that said, I believe there something we all can learn from John the Baptist...

In John 3:30, John( the baptist, not the author) says this about Jesus: "He must become greater, and I must become less important." Now some of you are no doubt wondering why I am bringing this up. I believe we can all learn a thing or two from John the Baptist.

How many of us get so caught up in what WE are doing for Jesus? How many of us focus on our own efforts and our own attempts to do what is right, and strive to do things on our own strength? I know I have sometimes, and I'm sure several of you have as well. It is easy to fall into the trap of focusing on our efforts when we are "serving" God.

However, I suggest that instead of putting the focus on ourselves, we should focus on the One we are serving. It is only through Him that we can truly serve Him and do great things for Him. Even then, we must make sure to not to take the credit for what He does through us, but rather, give Him all the glory. We, as John did, should be able to let Him become greater and our own percieved importance become less.

It is important to remember that it is not about us, it is about God. We can do nothing on our own; it is through Christ alon that we can do anything, as Paul says in Phil 4:13. With this in mind, let us strive toward puting our King first, and focus on Him; yielding our lives to His power and relying fully on Him!



For Christ's Glory!

Did God really say...

Many of us are familiar with how Satan deceived Eve back in the Garden of Eden. He deceived her by making her doubt the truth, and since then, we have lived in a fallen world. How many of us, though, are aware that Satan is still at work, trying to get us to doubt God's Word. This time, he assumes the disguise of a scholar, or professor, or an individual in the know.

Satan has sneaked into our churches and our discussions. We see verses like Matthew 5:42, ("Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." NIV), and Matthew 5:48, ("Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." NIV), and Satan is right there, saying "did God really say...". This time however, his words are a little different, and backed with deep, theological arguments. "Well, you have to take those verses in the context, in which Jesus was only talking to the Jews at the time,", or "Some scripture isn't meant to be taken literally, it is more like an illustration of some concept," or, "Jesus knows that we can't live up to those commands; we are never going to be perfect, but He loves us anyway; why not just ignore them...ignorance is bliss." Satan is trying to get us to doubt God's Word, and many of us are falling for it.

Have we forgotten 2 Timothy 3:16? "All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness." Now notice that it doesn't say "some scripture is God-breathed, and useful...", instead it says "ALL scripture is GOD-BREATHED, and USEFUL....".

I firmly believe that God's word is absolute Truth, and is infallible, and lives up to what it claims to do and more. "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for everyone who believes..." (Romans 1:16, NIV) His word is powerful, and will change lives. "God's word is not chained."

It is truth, and we need to take it as such. As I quoted earlier, "it is the power of God, for everyone who believes", and Satan wants to sabotage it. We need to be on our guard.

His Word is life-changing....if we don't water it down, and try and re-word it, or "interpret" it. Not only must we respect it, but we must, as Eric Ludy says in Bravehearted Gospel, (A very good book, by the way. i encourage everyone to read it!) "...believe that every nook and cranny of His Word to be completely true - and that it is true for today." (Bravehearted Gospel, Page 167)

God's Word is "living and active, sharper than any double - edged sword, it penetrates to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12, NIV) His Word is sooooo amazing and good, and powerful, and perfect. It needs to be shown the utmost reverence and protected, defended, and used everywhere. It is the sword of the spirit, and is sharper than any other sword. I challenge you to dig into it! It is life changing!

As warriorpoets, we must know how to use our sword, so we can know how to fight. We must know what to do, so we follow the handbook from our King. Being grounded in the word is a key part of becoming a warrior poet.

So, how are your sword skills? I challenge you to dig into His word, and be prepared to be transformed!

For Christ's Glory!

Garbage Everywhere

Take a good look around. Our culture is fixated on stuff. Even Christians get pretty hyped up about stuff, myself sometimes included. We can spend so much energy on stuff and activities. We go crazy over football teams and buy all sorts of memorabilia. We are surrounded by stuff everywhere; and a lot of it isn't what we'd call bad stuff.

However, I would like to suggest an alternative mindset. I can't claim to have come up with this idea, I'm merely passing on an idea set forth by the apostle Paul, and it still rings true today.

In Philippians 3, Paul gives a list of all his achievements, and things that are important to him and then goes on to say "But what things were gain to me, those I have counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I might know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made comfortable unto his death." (Philippians 3:7-10, KJV)

In the New Century Version, it says in verse 8, "not only those things, but I think all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him, I have lost all those things, and now I know they are worthless trash. This allows me to have Christ.."

How many of us can say that we consider all things trash, or dung, or in another translation, rubbish, in light of knowing Christ more and more? In our stuff-crazed society, and even in most Christian circles, this mindset seems crazy and unnecessary. However, as I have been learning, we need to be willing to give up all things for Christ, counting them all rubbish.

Instead of getting more stuff, or getting excited about things of this world, which aren't considered bad, but are distracting, we should be able to give it all up for God. We cannot, to paraphrase Luke 15:13, serve both God and stuff.

I would propose that we need to pursue Christ more, counting all things else rubbish. This mindset turns those focus from "me" to God. This is a radical shift in thinking. Most of us think that we can be "good" Christians, and still have plenty of stuff, and it is not wrong to spend energy chasing after stuff. We need more people to throw away all things, counting it all as worthless garbage, and pursue Christ with all of our energy.

To be a warrior poet means to throw away all hindrances and concerns, and wholeheartedly pursue his King. In 2 Timothy 2:4, it says "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chose him to be a soldier. " (KJV) In other words, no warrior poet who wants to serve his King gets caught up in the affairs of this life. As it is said in Hebrews 12:1, "...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race set before us."

It becomes clear that in order to fully know Christ, and continually know Him better, there should be no distractions. I want to know Him more, and I am willing to consider everything as garbage compared to the incomparable greatness of knowing Him all the more. What about you? What will you choose. It is a difficult step, but one with unmatchable rewards!

For Christ's Glory!

Some more thoughts on "Greater Expectations", Part2

Now, I am turning my attention to marriage. As I have said before, I can't claim to be an authority on marriage, having no experience...but I feel led to share what God has put on my heart and has been teaching me, as I've been reading many book on marriage, and on what God desires.

I believe that marriage is an extremely precious gift from God, and is a great, living illustration of Christ's love for us, His church, and bride. Ephesians 5:21-33 is a great passage on marriage. I pray every day that I can love like Christ loves, even as woefully inadequate as I am. I have faith that He can and will.

As I had said earlier, I believe that God's intentions for marriage are far more noble and exciting then the world's expectations. Not only is it a unique and very special way of glorifying God, which is our chief end in life, but it is also a means in which He makes us more like Himself.

We are all aware that marriage has many blessings, but I think that most of us don't expect to be precious and special all the time. Even many of the Christian book on the subject seem to expect that all marriages will have some serious problems, that it is unavoidable that you will have many troubles mixed in with the blessings.

I believe that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13, NIV). Call it youthful idealism, but I believe that marriage can be much better than most of us expect, that when we place our unwavering faith in God and put everything in His control, placing Him in the center, marriage can be so much better than what we can imagine.

I had mentioned earlier about how unconditional love is very important in marriage (And in life!) Putting your other first, serving and loving him or her as Christ loves us is a great challenge, but one that we can do through His strength. One verse that I like a lot is John 15:13: "No greater love has no man than this, that he lays down his life for his friends." (NIV) Not only is that how Christ loves us, but that is how I desire to love my future wife, as also laid out in Ephesians 5:25-29.

Where am I going with this? Simply that marriage can be so much better than we imagine if we put Christ first, and our (future) spouse second. I believe that marriage can be better than what we see. I have faith that God will be glorified in my future relationship, and that it will be greater than I can even imagine, as long as I continue to put Christ first, and love my future life as Christ loves us. I pray that I will be able to do that, to be a real man. This is a big part of being a warrior poet, particularly the poet part. We need to love others unconditionally.

With all this said, I challenge you to have greater expectations in your faith and in your (future) marriage. I pray that God will do some great things in us!


For Christ's Glory!